Conveyor arrangement



United States Patent CONVEYOR ARRANGEMENT Dillard F. Dyar, Abbeville, S.C., assignor to Deering Mlllil en Research Corporation, Pendleton, S.C., a corporatlon of Delaware Application October 16, 1956, Serial No. 616,338

6 Claims. (Cl. 198-19) This invention relates to a conveyor arrangement, and more particularly to a conveyor arrangement for sliver cans along the floor of a card room in a textile mill and specifically between the various card frames and draw frames.

For many years it has been the practice in the textile industry to move the sliver cans from the card frame turntables to and from the draw frames manually by sliding them on the floor either singularly or in groups. It is obvious that this is time-consuming and results in higher operational cost than might otherwise be achieved by reducing this handling operation. It is a major feature of this invention that a suitable conveyor arrangement is provided for mechanically moving the sliver cans between the card frames and the draw frames and which does not impede the worker either in walking or tending the card frames, or otherwise, during the time it is not in active use. This latter feature is very important since it is of vital concern from the standpoint of safety and cfliciency of operation that the operator area be as clear and unimpeded as possible during normal operations.

Still other features and attendant advantages will become apparent to one from a reading of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view illustrating schematically a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration in elevation of the conveyor arrangement of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse section view through the floor and upper reach of the chain with the active length forming the upper reach.

Figure 4 is a view in longitudinal partial section illustrating the driving engagement between the conveyor and a sliver can.

Referring to the figures of the drawing, a conveyor in the form of a continuous narrow chain 12, or other suitable narrow continuous flexible member, rides on a plurality of idler sprocket wheels 14 and a drive sprocket wheel 16, and is disposed in a suitable recess 18 in the floor 24 of a card room between the dotf end of two parallel rows of card frames 30. The card frames are each provided with a sliver can turntable 32 in accordance with conventional practice.

The recess 18 and upper reach or run of the chain 12 extend along the entire length of the rows of card frames. Formed integrally with the chain links or sections 13, or suitably secured thereto as by welding or other suitable securing means, at spaced apart positions corresponding substantially to the positions of the individual sliver can turntables 32 are a plurality of outwardly extending sliver-can-engaging lugs or projections 20, one for each card frame and associated turntable. These lugs 20 are arranged on a length of the chain corresponding to the upper reach thereof and thus may be moved to a position beneath the floor 24 when the chain is not in active use. A further inactive length of the chain corresponding in length to at least the exposed upper reach dimension is devoid of lugs 20 or other outwardly extending protuberances or projections. Between the two upper idler sprockets the upper reach of the chain 12 rides in a channel member 22 and is thereby supported and held parallel along its upper reach with the upper surface of the floor 24. Thus it will be seen that when the portion of the chain having the lugs 20 formed or secured thereon is positioned to form the upper reach, the body proper of chain 12 will be flush with the upper surface of the floor, with the lugs 20 projecting upwardly above the floor surface for conveying engagement each with a respective sliver can rim. On the other hand when the inactive portion of the conveyor chain 12 having no lugs or other outwardly extending projections formed or secured thereon is positioned to form the upper reach, the upper surface of the links of the chain 12 proper will be substantially flush with the floor surface and will therefore provide an effectively unbroken continuation of the floor surface with no impediment to operator movement in walking or moving thereover.

A suitable reversible motor 26 is preferably mounted beneath the floor 24 and is operatively connected to the drive sprocket wheel 16 and chain 12 either through a direct connection or preferably through a speed reduction connection such as a pulley and belt arrangement 28 as shown. In mounting the motor 26 beneath the upper surface of the floor 24 such may, if desired, be spaced between the upper and lower floor boards or may be mounted beneath the lower floor board, such lower floor board usually forming the ceiling of another operational room. Suitable switch controls 29 may be connected to the motor 26 and disposed for operator control thereof at any suitable point in the card room.

The operation of the apparatus will be readily apparent from the foregoing description and the drawings. The chain 12 is moved from its inactive position to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 whereupon the operator removes the sliver cans 35 from their associated turn tables 32 and places each sliver can 35 over its adjacent lug 20. It will be noted that by virtue of the turntable 32 being disposed in staggered relation the lugs 20 are at sufficiently spaced apart positions to readily accommodate the individual sliver cans without crowding. The motor 26 is then energized to move the chain 12 counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 2, whereupon the lugs 20 each engage the rim 36 on the lower end of a respective can 35 (each can being formed with an annular rim 36 at its lower end defining an end recess 37 beneath the bottom plate 38, in accordance with conventional practice), and thereby causes the cans to move in unison to the left end of the conveyor and be discharged one by one to form a group at a point adjacent the draw frames 40. It will be seen that upon the discharge of the last can 35 the lugs 20 will then be positioned beneath the floor surface on the lower reach of chain 12, and the upper reach will be free of protruding parts of any kind and substantially flush with the floor surface," thuspermitting free and unimpeded operator movement.

The drive motor 26 is then reversed and empty cans 35 are placed over the lugs 20, one can on each lug, as the lug emerges from beneath the floor of the draw frame of the conveyor. The chain is driven until the lugs 20 and their associated empty cans 35 are aligned, each with a card frame, at which time the conveyor is stopped and the empty cans are removed, each at a respectively adjacent card frame. The chain is then again moved to position the lugs beneath the floor, and is thereupon stopped. This operation is repeated after the cans 35 again become full.

It will be apparent that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, and it is therefore to be understood that this invention is not limited by the specific illustrated embodiment described and shown herein, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination a supporting floor, a plurality of cardframes disposed on said floor in spaced apart positions for filling sliver cans and each having a sliver can turntable for supporting a sliver can and a conveyor comprising a flat floor, an endless flexible member mounted to form an upper and a lower reach, the upper and outer surface of said upper reach being disposed substantially flush with the upper surface of said floor, said. flexible member having a plurality of object-engagingv lugs disposed thereon. in spaced-apart relation and extending outwardly therefrom along a first length corresponding substantially to said upper reach of said flexible member, and a further. length of said flexible member of outwardly extending protrusions and inactive inall positions thereof, said further length being at leastas long as the length of said flush upper reach, and means operatively connected to said flexible membe: and adapted to' move said flexible member lengthwise for selectively positioning either said first active length or said further inactive length of said flexible member as the upper reach thereof, said conveyor being disposed longitudinally adjacent each of said sliver can turntables, said lugs corresponding in number to the number of said. sliver can turntables, each of said sliver cans having a recessed bottom and annular supporting rim defining an. open lower end recess, said lugs being each substantially smaller than said lower end recess in said cans and fitted into one of said lower end recesses and engaging the interior of a respective can rim to thereby establish a driving connection with a respective sliver can, said floor surface being the sole slide supporting surface for said sliver cans.

2. The combination according to claim 1, further comprising at least one drawing frame disposed adjacent one longitudinal end of saidconveyor, for withdrawing sliver from said cans.

3. The: combination according to claim 2 wherein said card frames are disposed on. opposite sides of the longitudinal extent of said conveyor whereby an alley is effectly formed, said sliver can turntables being disposed at. staggered positions along the opposite sides of said conveyor.

4.The method of conveying sliver cans in a card room having; a flat floor and an endless conveyor disposed longitudinally in a longitudinal slot in said floor between two longitudinal rows of spaced. card frames, said endless convcyorhaving spaced lugs thereon solely along one reach thereof and corresponding to the number of said card frames and having no substantial protuberances from. its other reach, said cans each having a bottom annnlar rim. defining an openv bottom recess for receiving said lugs; said method comprising engaging the inner wall of the annular bottom rim of each of said cans one-by-one. with respective ones of said lugs and in a substantially common: area at one longitudinal end of said endless conveyor, moving said spaced lugs and their respectively engaged cans along said flat floor while slidably supporting each of said cans solely on said floor and without aid of external lateral guides, stopping said conveyor, lugs, and cans simultaneously when said lugs and respective cans are positioned adjacent a respective one of said card frames, removing said cans at their respective card frames, and moving said conveyor and lugs to position said one reach and said lugs beneath said floor and thereby clear said floor for unimpeded walking thereon.

5. The method of conveying sliver cans in a card room having a flat floor and an endless conveyor disposed longitudinally in a longitudinal slot in said floor between two longitudinal rows of spaced card frames, said endless conveyor having spaced lugs thereon solely along one reach thereof and corresponding to the number of said card frames and having no substantial protuberances from its other reach, said cans each having a bottom annular rim defining an open bottom recess for receiving said lugs, said method comprising positioning said conveyor and lugs with a single lug adjacent a respective one of said card frames, removing a full can from each of said card frames and placing it with said bottom rim in surrounding relation to a respective one of said lugs and in direct supporting engagement with said flat floor, then moving said cans longitudinally along said floor to one end of said conveyor by longitudinally moving said conveyor and lugs along said slot and engaging the inner wall of each of said can annular bottom rims by a respective one of said lugs while slidably supporting each of said cans solely on said floor surface and without aid of external lateral guides, and then positioning said conveyor with said one reach and said lugs entirely beneath said floor surface thereby clearing said floor along and adjacent said slot for unimpeded walking thereon.

6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising subsequently engaging the inner wall of the annular bottom rim of each of a plurality of empty said sliver cans one-by-one with respective ones of said lugs and at one longitudinal end of said endless conveyor, moving said spaced lugs and their respectively engaged empty cans along said flat floor while slidably supporting each of said empty cans solely on said floor and without aid of external lateral guides, stopping said conveyor, lugs, and empty cans simultaneously when said lugs and respective cans are positioned adjacent a respective one of said card frames, removing said empty cans, and then moving saidconveyor and logs to position said one reach and said lugs beneath said floor and thereby clear said floor for unimpeded walking and movement thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

